Arlington Inmate Dies

An Arlington County inmate died after being found unconscious in his cell last week, as a result of “suspicious activity,” sheriff officials said.

Officials do not believe another inmate was involved in the incident, said Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Dennis Webb. As of the Arlington Connection’s press time, sheriff officials had not released the name of the victim, who was a male Arlington resident.

On Oct. 18 Arlington Sheriff Deputies found the inmate unconscious on the floor of his cell when they came to serve him lunch, at approximately 11:30 a.m., Webb said. Several minutes beforehand, deputies had seen the individual in the jail’s recreation room. They did not hear any struggle or disturbance, Webb said.

The fire department rescue squad arrived on the scene and the inmate was transported to the Virginia Hospital Center, where resuscitation efforts failed.

The inmate was committed to the Arlington Detention Facility in June 2005 after being sentenced to 17 months in jail for making phone threats and contempt of court, Webb said. He was scheduled to be released last Friday, three days after he died.

The results of the autopsy were pending and sheriff officials said they were still tracking down next of kin. The incident is being investigated by the Arlington County Police Department in conjunction with the Sheriff’s Office.